Battery management for patient support apparatuses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11399997-B2
Application number	US-201916549572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2019
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, recliner, cot, stretcher, operating table, or the like, includes battery-powered circuitry whose functions are reduced, but not eliminated, as the battery charge level falls below a threshold. Electrical power may be cut off to one or more components of the battery-powered circuitry while still providing battery-supplied electrical power to the other components of the circuitry. A user interface provides battery status data, including a replacement status of a rechargeable battery, and allows a user to select different formats for displaying battery status data. Such formats include displays of battery charge level information not only in manners specific to the battery, but also in manners relative to the patient support apparatus, such as displays of how many, or how much of, one or more functions the patient support apparatus is able to perform based on the battery's current charge level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A patient support apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a plurality of wheels;
a support surface supported by the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;
a plurality of components for carrying out a plurality of functions of the patient support apparatus;
a battery for powering the plurality of components;
a display; and
a control system adapted to monitor a charge state of the battery and to display a first indication and a second indication on the display, the first indication indicating a first relationship of the charge state of the battery to a first set of the components and the second indication indicating a second relationship of the charge state of the battery to a second set of the components; wherein the first set of the components includes a motor for driving a first one of the wheels and the second set of the components includes an actuator for changing a height of the support surface, and wherein the first indication provides an estimated distance the motor can drive the patient support apparatus based on the charge state of the battery, and the second indication provides an estimated number of times the height of the support surface can be changed before the battery should be recharged.

2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an interface having a plurality of relays in electrical communication with a connector adapted to receive a nurse call cable, wherein the control system is adapted to change a state of a selected one of the relays when the control system detects that the charge state of the battery has fallen below a threshold.

3. The patient support apparatus of claim 2 wherein the patient support apparatus further includes an exit detection system adapted to detect, when activated, if the patient is about to exit the support surface, and wherein the control system is further adapted to change a state of a relay different from the selected one of the relays when the exit detection system detects that the patient is about to exit the support surface.

4. A patient support apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a plurality of wheels;
a support surface supported by the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;
a battery;
a display;
an exit detection system adapted to detect, when activated, if the patient is about to exit the support surface;
a control system adapted to monitor a charge state of the battery; and
a user interface adapted to allow a user to select between displaying a first indication of the charge state of the battery on the display and a second indication of the charge state of the battery on the display, wherein the first indication provides an estimate amount of time the exit detection system can remain activated before the battery should be recharged.

5. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the control system is further adapted to change the patient support apparatus from an awake state to a sleep state when the control system detects inactivity for more than a threshold amount of time, the sleep state consuming less power than the awake state and the sleep state adapted to shut off electrical power to all microcontrollers on the patient support apparatus, and wherein the control system further includes circuitry adapted to awaken the patient support apparatus from the sleep state to the awake state, the circuitry being implemented completely in hardware and utilizing no software.

6. The patient support apparatus of claim 5 further including a voltage monitor adapted to monitor a voltage of the battery both when the patient support apparatus is in the sleep state and when the patient support apparatus is in the awake state, wherein the voltage monitor is adapted to shut off power to all electrical components of the patient support apparatus when the voltage monitor detects that a voltage of the battery has fallen below a voltage threshold and the patient support apparatus is not plugged into an electrical power outlet, and wherein voltage monitor is adapted to turn on power to at least some of the electrical components of the patient support apparatus only when the patient support apparatus receives electrical power having a voltage greater than the voltage threshold.

7. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the user interface is further adapted to allow the user to select displaying a third indication of the charge state of the battery on the display, and wherein the second indication provides an estimate of a number of motion cycles of the support surface, and the third indication provides an estimated percentage of a remaining life of the battery before the battery should be replaced.

8. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second indication provides an estimate of time until the battery runs out, the estimate of time is based upon a current rate of usage of the battery, and the estimate of time is changed if the current rate of usage of the battery changes.

9. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second indication provides an estimated percentage of a remaining life of the battery until the battery should be replaced.

10. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the patient support apparatus is a cot having an actuator adapted to lift the support surface from a lowered position to a raised position, and the second indication provides an estimated number of lifts that can be powered by the battery until the battery should be recharged.

11. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the patient support apparatus includes a propulsion system, the user interface is further adapted to allow the user to select displaying a third indication of the charge state of the battery on the display, the second first indication indicates an estimated distance the propulsion system can propel the patient support apparatus before the battery should be recharged, and the third indication includes a map of at least a portion of a healthcare facility, wherein the map is marked to graphically identify which locations lie within the estimated distance.

12. A patient support apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a plurality of wheels;
a support surface supported by the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;
a battery;
a display;
a control system adapted to monitor a charge state of the battery; and
an interface having a plurality of relays in electrical communication with a connector adapted to receive a nurse call cable, wherein the control system is adapted to change a state of a selected one of the relays when the control system detects that the charge state of the battery has fallen below a threshold.

13. The patient support apparatus of claim 12 wherein the patient support apparatus is a recliner having a seat, a backrest, and a leg rest.

14. The patient support apparatus of claim 12 further including an actuator for moving at least a portion of the support surface, wherein the control system is further adapted to disable movement of the actuator in a first direction but enable movement of the actuator in a second direction when the charge state of the battery has fallen below the threshold, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.

15. The patient support apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control system is further adapted to change the state of a second selected relay when the control system detects that the charge state of the battery has fallen below a second threshold, the second threshold being lower than the threshold.

16. The patient support apparatus of claim 12 wherein the patient support apparatus further i

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Furman Aaron Douglas
• Brosnan Daniel Vincent
• Vytla Lavanya

Classifications

• A61G1/017

  convertible into chairs · CPC title

• A61G7/0514

  mounted to individual mattress supporting frame sections · CPC title

• G05F1/66

  Regulating electric power · CPC title

• A61G7/0506

  Head or foot boards (head or foot boards for comfort or ergonomics A47C19/022) · CPC title

• A61G7/005

  tiltable around transverse horizontal axis, e.g. for Trendelenburg position {(rocking beds for physical therapy A61H1/003; hanging patient inclined downwardly for drawing him out A61H2203/0493)} · CPC title